Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Jan 18 - 25

“We will all be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ”

By Rev. Rob Stringer, Diocese of Saskatchewan ecumenical officer

Throughout the Diocese of Saskatchewan, ecumenical co-operation seems to be on the rise.

Over the last year, congregations in Spiritwood and Meadow Lake (my home parish) have entered  shared ministry agreements. These partnerships add to our other ecumenical parishes, such as Turtle River Parish and Birch Hills/Kinistino.

The Mission of Christopher Lake has also had a long history of welcoming members from a diversity of denominational backgrounds. I am sure these trends in are evidence throughout the province of Saskatchewan.

Ecumenical co-operation challenges the disciples of Jesus to strive for the unity He prayerfully desires for His Church (see John 17:20-21). But such co-operation should also lead us to thoughtful, biblical and prayerful reflection on what it means to be the Church and how we might move forward with our ecumenical partners.

Unfortunately, our approach to ecumenism is often guided by the common difficulties we face and not the common blessings we share. Such difficulties may include dwindling and aging congregations, financial troubles and inability to secure a pastor.

While these difficulties may be a means by which God draws us together, we must be willing to acknowledge the challenges we face are not due to God’s unfaithfulness to us, but perhaps our unfaithfulness to Him and the priorities He has given to His Church.

It may also be that God uses such challenges to deepen our dependence on Him and reorient our priorities.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, from Jan. 18-25, 2012, gives us the opportunity to fervently and sincerely pray for the unity of all Christian people. The theme for this year is “We will all be changed by
the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:51-58).

The change the apostle Paul has in view here is the resurrection of the dead at the end of history, when “death is swallowed up in victory” and those who are in Christ will changed from perishability and mortality to imperishability and immortality. At first reading, this is certainly a strange text for the Week of Prayer for Christian unity but prayer is ultimately about change.

We often use prayer to change our circumstances or to change the mind of God. Yet God’s will is perfect and His purposes are good, the same cannot be said of us as sinners living in a fallen world. Hopefully, the more we pray, the more we discover the need of our hearts and lives to be changed by God’s grace, presence and perfect will for our lives.

Here is how the authors of the resources of the Week address the theme: “1 Corinthians 15:51-58 speaks of the transformative power of faith in Christ, particularly in relation to our praying for the visible unity of the Church, the Body of Christ.

“As we pray for and strive towards the full visible unity of the church, we – and the traditions to which we belong – will be changed, transformed and conformed to the likeness of Christ” (Resources, p. 10).

The full transformation which Paul envisions is yet to come but today, we are to be thankful, steadfast, immovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord. Prayer, particularly prayer for the unity of all Christians, is to be one of our steadfast works.

And with prayer comes change and renewal of our hearts and minds into the likeness of Jesus.

Christlikeness must be informed by priorities of Acts 2:42 (the theme from 2010) which reads, “They devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching and the fellowship and the breaking of the bread and the prayers.”

It is the first description of the Spirit-filled community who welcomed Peter’s Gospel message about Jesus as the Messiah and Lord. The theme of unity is implicit in the passage and is reinforced by words, such as “everyone” and “all.”

What we discover here is that disciples were “devoted” (in Greek means, “to be steadfastly attentive to”, “to remain constant in”) in “the Apostles’ teaching” (this instruction is summarized for us in the Bible); “the fellowship” (sharing both a common life in Christ and the material blessings He has given to us); “the breaking of bread” (worshiping Jesus together) and “the prayers” (having a set pattern corporate and private prayer).

These devotions should be the foundation and guide of our ecumenical co-operation, for these commitments not only draw us closer together, but ultimately draw us closer to Christ Himself.

We should not miss the fact the Spirit-filled community of Acts was growing “day by day” (Acts 2:47), as the Lord brought people to new life in Himself through the mission of the Church.

If these are to be the guiding principles of ecumenical cooperation then many will have concerns – I would include myself in this group – about establishing and maintaining ecumenical relationships when we do not share the same priorities.

For example, the recent decisions at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s National Convention regarding human sexuality reveals a sharp divide among us in the interpretation of the Bible and of its authority.

This is no small matter. If we no longer share a common devotion to the Apostles’ teaching, this division will impact how we view issues around our common life, worship, prayer and mission. While ecumenical co-operation does demand our charity towards others, it also demands honesty with each other and faithfulness to God and His Word.

In raising this concern, I wish to remain sensitive to real relationships in our communities, evidenced in friendships and ministries that have been the fruit of ecumenical co-operation (including the partnership in my own community between Anglicans and Lutherans).

My hope and prayer is not to create seeds of division, but rather to strengthen these unions upon Christ the Solid Rock and the truth of His Word.

Rather than seeking an end to ecumenical co-operation, may we seek more deeply a renewal of the  movement of God’s Spirit in our midst though a rediscovery of those Ancient – yet eternally relevant – devotions to the Apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of the bread and the prayers.

In this act of steadfast devotion, may we find Jesus Himself, who is our Prince of Peace. Resources for the Week of Prayer can be found at www.oikoumene.org/en/resources.html.